Government still refusing to address security costs of Pope’s visit

In the House of Lords last week, Lord Kilclooney asked the Government: “What is the estimated cost to the Exchequer of the planned state visit to the United Kingdom this year by Pope Benedict XVI.”

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford) replied: “Pope Benedict XVI will visit the UK at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen. The visit will combine official events, which are the responsibility of the Government, with a number of pastoral events, for which the Catholic Bishops' Conferences of England and Wales and of Scotland are responsible. There are also issues, such as the security and transport of the Pope and his delegation, for which the Government will take responsibility throughout the visit.

“The costs of the visit can be divided into two categories: policing costs, which will be met by the state from within existing policing budgets, and non-policing costs, which will be split between the Catholic Church and the Government. Planning and discussions on the visit are continuing but my noble friend Lord Patten, my right honourable friend the Prime Minister's Special Representative for the Papal Visit, has said he expects the non-policing costs falling to Government to be between £10 million and £12 million. The Catholic Bishops Conference will also be meeting costs which fall to them in relation to the pastoral events.”

Terry Sanderson, President of the National Secular Society, said: “Amazingly, the Government is still glossing over the costs of security, saying that they will be met from “existing budgets” as though that means they don’t count. Unfortunately for the police authorities that are going to have to pick up the tab — on behalf of the ratepayers who fund them — they could be ruinous.”